I chose the 10’8” stand-up paddle board, over the 10’6”, because I thought it would be more stable, for me, on the sea. And as for location, I decided upon the North Atlantic Ocean – Sennen. Sennen is on the North Cornish coast (just up from Land’s End) and is a celebrated surf location; so I may have bitten-off-more-than-I-can-chew for my first SUP outing on the sea!

With the car parked, overlooking the fabulous Sennen beach, I unpacked my SUP, grabbed the Titan pump, and proceeded to inflate! Twenty minutes later I was walking on the sand towards the sea – yes they really are that easy to inflate!

All this in the Red Paddle Co Ride 10’8″ SUP package; including the world’s best ‘Titan’ pump!

Fortunately the swell (waves) was small, at low tide, so out I paddled beyond the breaking waves – on my knees. Once ‘out back’ I proceeded to stand. As I bobbed between crest and trough, of the waves, I got myself stable and started to paddle. Momentum helped with the balance, but it wasn’t too long before I was in the sea – splash! Totally refreshed and invigorated by the cold sea I was back on my SUP, and began to paddle, looking ahead at the waves and trying to get into a rhythm. I began to feel confident and paddled along the beach – with the wind and against the wind. I was doing OK!

I returned to shore. The small breaking wave nearly had me off, but I managed to save myself in the shallow water. I may have been out for an hour, but it felt longer. My core, arms and legs felt they had had a workout, so a cream tea was in order!

Over the next few days, in slightly bigger swell, I paddled my stand up paddle board. Confidence grew, and I thoroughly enjoyed paddling to-and-throw on the North Atlantic Ocean. So now it was time to try surfing! Needless to say it was the rider not the SUP that struggle in the breaking waves, the Ride 10’ 8”performed well – however this is where the smaller 10’6” would have been a better choice.

So is the Red Paddle Co Ride the ‘Swiss Army Knife’ of SUPs? I think so, however, a river trip needs to be completed to say for sure – I’ll let you know how I get on!

How It All Began

My buddy Jane and I have a habit of entering events without really knowing what they entail – and my discovery of stand-up paddle boarding happened in just this way . I messaged Jane and suggested we enter an alternative triathlon (as quite frankly we are both terrible swimmers ) where the swimming was replaced with this activity called SUPing – which looked pretty cool in a ‘surf dude’ way. Entries done, kit packed we headed off on our girls weekend away mini adventure!

On arrival we quickly realised what this first section of the event entailed – stand up paddle boarding 3km around a Welsh lake in rather a strong wind…we had never even seen a paddle board before …. nothing like a bit of winging it !!!

We set off from the start line on our knees, wondering how the heck we were actually supposed to stand up, let alone steer this wobbly SUP we were on. A lot of cursing , minor panics about crashing in to the edge and a huge amount of slightly hysterical laughter – we braved it – we stood up!

We then braced ourselves ( feet planted !) and cracked on with trying to paddle without propelling ourselves off . 3km later we returned onto dry land…charged up the bank with a huge smile ready to jump on the mountain bikes.

I can’t deny it was a slightly awkward experience to start with, but it was also truly brilliant !! The sense of adventure and excitement from the start was quite unique, we were buddies out together on our paddle boards in the middle of a glorious wavy lake – laughing hysterically at each other , getting equally frustrated at times at our inability to do it, and yet feeling like we were amazing super humans at the same time – simply because we were doing something so unbelievably different , and actually achieving it !

That hour on the paddle board is what got me hooked. I felt totally refreshed yet physically tired after an hour of paddling – but most of all, I wanted to go again and soon !

When you exercise on land you have a nice firm base ( ground !)…..but then transfer those same moves to a wobbly platform, and boy is it new challenge!!

Fast Forward: This Is Where The Exercise Part Comes In

Paddle boarding is pretty cool – you can simply hire or buy a stand-up paddleboard, and take it for a tootle around a lake or down the river , and almost anybody could do this and get that lovely sense of freedom and escapism the water gives you …….but if that’s a little sedate…. you can of course take it a little further !

SUP Fitness (SUPfit) does just that. We lose the walls and take your workout to the water on the paddle board, giving you an effective full body training session, in a location that gives a sense of space and freedom.

When you exercise on land you have a nice firm base ( ground !)…..but then transfer those same moves to a wobbly platform, and boy is it new challenge!!

Add that to the back and shoulder muscles required to actually paddle the board, and you leave a session really feeling the benefits. Plus of course you are outside in the fresh air and sunshine – and simply nothing is better then exercising outdoors for your mental and physical health.

What to the sessions actually involve?

A standard SUPfit session is effectively a circuit training class on the water. We use cardio exercises to up that heart rate, bodyweight moves to get those joints and muscles working and also add resistance bands to the boards to give us additional strength core workouts. We mix the sessions up to include sections of stretching and controlled work, with high intensity bursts to keep us on our toes !!

Workouts can also be tailored – so if you’re a private group wanting to take it a little slower, that’s totally fine, we can strengthen and stretch at sunset and all the benefits can be achieved at your own level.

So if you fancy something a little different, want to keep your workouts fresh and want to work hard and laugh at the same with your friends – why not try the fast growing sport of paddleboarding, and give SUPfit a try ?

If you enjoy it as much as I love teaching it – you will leave the water a stronger, happier and more chilled version of the person that arrived!

Tallington Lakes offer SUP Taster Sessions to introduce you to the basics of stand-up paddleboarding. More information here, or call 01778 381151

Having only recently been introduced to the world of inflatable SUPs, I was amazed by how stable and versatile this board really is. The way Red Paddle Co have designed this board with it monocoque structural laminate (MSL) is truly revolutionary. This way of manufacturing a board means that between the layers of material they have fused a second layer and added in drop stitches, which bind the top and bottom of the board together, to add rigidity and strength. It also allows the board to be 2Kgs lighter due to there not being as much glue between the layers or material. The 10’6″ has also been designed with iFin technology which means that the three fins are mounted to the board area as a permanent fixture; meaning no tools, no replacement, and most importantly not missing out on that sunset paddle!

Having ridden the board in all conditions I find that the 10”6″ moves smoothly through the water, due to its sleek design and rounded edges. It is extremely easy to manoeuvre making it perfect for someone who is either new to paddle boarding or someone who is looking for more of a cruiser board. Due to its width it gives the rider that little bit more confidence and stability. And with it’s thermo sealed crocodile deck pad it provides improved grip.

Red Paddle Co also provide a coiled leash with the 10’6″. I prefer the coiled leash as it doesn’t drag behind you as you paddle, reducing the potential for the leash to get caught up.

The board can easily be deployed whenever, wherever and can be completely deflated, rolled up and put in a backpack!

When you purchase a Red Paddle Co board they provide you with a Titan pump which has a dual chamber system which allows you to inflate the board in under 5 minutes!

Stand Up Paddleboarding (or SUP as it’s commonly known) has quickly grown to become one of the most popular watersports on Earth. SUP has set the world alight because a whole host of different reasons. It’s incredibly inclusive – if you’re fit enough to walk up a flight of stairs you’re fit enough to paddleboard, it’s very easy to get standing and paddling away and it is fantastic exercise. SUP is not only a fantastic cardiovascular workout but it also gives more than 11 of your core muscle groups a serious workout. Not forgetting SUP Yoga! On top of all that SUP is the best way to explore new and existing areas, see wildlife and most importantly, have fun.

Stand Up Paddle Board

All you need to SUP is a board, a paddle and a leash (to keep you attached to your board in case you fall off). We recommend Red Paddle Co inflatable boards. Red Paddle Co boards are the best on the market and are incredibly stiff, durable and have the same performance as a hardboard. The liberating thing about an inflatable stand-up paddleboard is how portable it is – it can go practically everywhere with you. You don’t need a van or a roof rack to take it on a road trip, or even a large space to store it at home. Red Paddle Co inflatable boards can be rolled up to fit into their own compact bags and can be worn as a backpack or rolled along on wheels. They also come with a pump, paddle and leash as standard.

SUP yoga is becoming increasingly popular and with good reason – it’s not only great fun but a fab workout too, providing an excellent way to get your yoga fix whilst being out on the water. Here are my top reasons why I love to do my yoga practice on my SUP.

One of the main things I love about doing yoga on my SUP is it’s a completely different experience to being on a mat in a studio – it really takes everything I think I know about my practice and throws it up in the air (or into the water should I say!) Playing with the instability element of the SUP means that I’ve had to learn how to work poses I practice regularly in a different way, in order to maintain balance. Holding yoga poses on the board demands a lot of core strength, and has found me working new muscles in order to keep my balance. It’s also been a great revealer of muscle imbalances I hadn’t noticed before. I realized that in downward dog I was pressing more weight through one side of my body than the other. Whilst it’s easy to ignore this on the mat, on the water press more weight through one hand than the other and the board will definitely let you know! This all means that practicing SUP yoga is a really effective way to strengthen your body in a more balanced way which in turn translates to an improved SUPing/surfing/windsurfing etc. performance too!

Because even the smallest of movements can throw my balance off, I’ve noticed that I bring a different quality of attention to my practice on the water. I need to be completely fully in the present moment if I want to stay on the board! But by the same token, falling off is pretty much inevitable and also part of the fun! It’s helped me to let go of my expectations and the need for perfectionism, and just go with the flow – a good metaphor that can be carried over to life too I guess! Ironically, I find that when I fight the movement of the board that is when I fall, whereas if I move with its natural rhythms the poses become naturally more stable, and more enjoyable too!

Finally, I love the fact that SUP yoga allows me to combine my love of being outdoors in nature with yoga. There really is nothing more relaxing than lying in savasana with the board gently rocking underneath you – on a warm sunny day it really is bliss!

So, whether you’re a paddle boarder looking to work on your flexibility and core strength, a yogi who fancies taking your practice to water, or are just looking for a different yoga experience outside of a yoga studio, SUP yoga has something for you!

Welcome

Tallington Lakes Pro Shop is situated at the bottom of a 120m dry ski/snowboard slope and surrounded by 205 acres of lakes; which is buzzing all year with activities.
Consequently we have plenty of experience and knowlege, to add to our blog, which we hope you will find useful.
Please feel free to share anything you find useful or entertaining; enjoy!